Making life better for our pets

Published:08:05Tuesday 27 November 2012

Share this article

PDSA’s new Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report was released last week and revealed that millions of pets’ needs are being neglected. This isn’t due to deliberate mistreatment – simply that many owners don’t fully understand what their pets need to be healthy and happy.

There are a number of worrying findings in the PAW Report, one of which is that nearly a third of dog owners have been bitten or attacked by a dog. Aggression is most often caused by a lack of appropriate training and socialisation when dogs are young, which can lead to fears and aggression in later life.

But the report showed that many owners still don’t take puppies to training classes, or understand how to socialise them properly. Pet obesity and a lack of preventive care are also issues addressed in the PAW Report. Another stark finding is that many owners aren’t aware of the five simple things pet owners need to provide by law to ensure their pets’ long-term wellbeing.

All of the animal welfare issues the report assesses are preventable. As the UK’s leading veterinary charity, we can’t ignore this and want to do all we can to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of pets.

To help support owners we have launched our Better Life for Pets campaign and are urging all local pet owners, whether you have a dog, cat, rabbit or other small pet, to visit www.pdsa.org.uk/pawreport to read the PAW Report and watch our unique pet welfare animation.

It may just take one or two small changes, but with your help we can make a better life for all pets a reality.